Rekey Between Tenants: What Landlords Should Do
Locksmith Milwaukee Now rekeys rental units between tenants in Milwaukee and about 30 miles around it. A rekey starts at $59 for the first lock and $20 for each additional lock, a business rekey at $79 for the first cylinder, and a mailbox lock at $69. We work 24/7. Call or text us.
The short answer
Rekey between tenants every time, even though Wisconsin does not make you. A tenant may hand back two keys and keep a third, a roommate or a former partner may still have one, and a contractor or a dog walker may have had one copied. A rekey makes every one of those keys useless before the new tenant moves in, and it keeps the locks you already own. In Milwaukee a rekey starts at $59 for the first lock and $20 for each additional lock on the same visit, so a typical unit door is a short job with a small bill. A rekey usually takes about 10 to 15 minutes per lock.
What the law says
Wisconsin has no statute that requires a landlord to rekey or change locks between tenants. The Tenant Resource Center, a Madison nonprofit that advises tenants and landlords, notes that a landlord is not obligated to change the locks between tenants except in special circumstances, and that a tenant who asks may have to pay for it.
The special circumstance is Wisconsin statute 704.16. A tenant who gives the landlord an official court copy of an injunction or a criminal complaint against a person who threatens them can ask for a lock change, and the landlord must change the locks, or let the tenant change them, within 48 hours. The tenant pays for that change, and if the tenant changes the lock, the landlord gets a key.
Other states go further. Texas, for example, requires a landlord to rekey every key, card, or combination lock at the landlord's expense within seven days after each new tenant moves in. Wisconsin landlords are free to follow the same practice, and many do.
Why rekeying pays off
You cannot count keys you did not cut. In the years a tenant lives in a unit, keys go to a partner, a babysitter, a cleaner, a friend who waters the plants, and a hardware store that copied one more. When the lease ends, the landlord gets back what the tenant remembers to return. A rekey is the only way to be sure the old keys stop working.
A rekey also helps you when something goes wrong later. If the new tenant reports a theft with no sign of forced entry, you can show the lock was rekeyed before the move-in, and who received the new keys.
The turnover checklist
- Unit doorRekey the deadbolt and the knob or lever on the unit door, and any back or side door that belongs to the unit.
- MailboxChange the mailbox lock if the building owns the boxes. For a cluster box owned by the Postal Service, the post office changes the lock for the new tenant.
- Shared doors and fobsTurn off the old tenant's fobs or codes for the front door, the laundry, and the garage, and collect any keys to shared doors.
- Garage and parkingClear the old tenant's remote from the garage opener, or change the code on its keypad.
- Smart locks and keypadsDelete the old tenant's code and app access, and set up the new tenant.
- RecordsWrite down how many keys went to the new tenant and to whom.
Master keys and rekeying
Many buildings run on a master key system: each unit has its own key, and the manager's master key opens every unit. A rekey in such a building must keep the master working, so the new pins are set to fit both the new unit key and the master. We plan the pins from the building's key chart, or build a new chart if there is none.
Our page on master key systems explains how a system is set up and how it grows with the building.
Faster turnovers
In a building with frequent turnovers, rekeying each cylinder on site can be replaced with a faster method. Locks with interchangeable cores let the manager swap the core of a lock in seconds with a control key, and send the old core out to be rekeyed. Restricted keys, which a hardware store cannot copy, cut down on extra copies in the first place. Our page on Do Not Duplicate keys explains why a stamp alone does not stop copies.
Who pays
In most rentals the landlord pays for the turnover rekey as part of the cost of renting the unit. Some leases charge a tenant for keys that are not returned, and a rekey requested by a tenant in the middle of a lease is often at the tenant's cost. Whatever your lease says, put it in writing, and keep the locksmith's receipt with the unit file.
Duplexes and small buildings
Milwaukee has many duplexes, with an upper and a lower flat and a separate entry for each. Each flat counts as its own unit, with its own key. When a duplex has a shared basement or back stairs, the basement door may take the same key as one of the flats. A turnover is a good time to sort out which keys open which doors, so each tenant gets only the keys they need.
Rentals with smart locks
A smart lock or a keypad deadbolt turns the turnover into a code change. Delete every code the old tenant used, remove them from the app, and set up the new tenant. Most smart locks keep a key cylinder as a backup, and that cylinder takes the old key until it is rekeyed, so it needs a rekey too.
What it costs
| Rekey, first lock | from $59 |
|---|---|
| Rekey, each additional lock | from $20 |
| Commercial rekey, first cylinder | from $79 |
| Master key system, per cylinder | from $45 |
| Mailbox lock | from $69 |
A rekey starts at $59 for the first lock and $20 for each additional lock on the same visit. In larger buildings billed as commercial work, a rekey starts at $79 for the first cylinder, and keying a master key system starts at $45 per cylinder. A mailbox lock starts at $69. A trip fee may apply at some times and places, and we tell you the total before we start. Landlords with several buildings can read how we work with property managers.
Cities we serve around Milwaukee
Milwaukee and about 30 miles around it: Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Ozaukee County, Washington County, and Racine County.
Questions about rekeying between tenants
Is a landlord in Wisconsin required to rekey between tenants?
No state law requires it. Wisconsin statute 704.16 requires a lock change only when a tenant shows a court document about a threat, and the tenant pays for that change.
How much does it cost to rekey a unit?
The first lock starts at $59 and each additional lock on the same visit at $20.
Can you rekey a unit and keep the master key working?
Yes. We set the new pins to fit both the new unit key and the master key.
Should I change the mailbox lock too?
Yes, if the building owns the mailboxes. For a Postal Service cluster box, the post office changes that lock.
Can a tenant change the locks?
Only with the landlord's okay or under statute 704.16, and the landlord gets a key to the new lock.